Even the baryonic matter we sometimes call the “observable universe” is three quarters hydrogen and 23 percent helium, by mass, and even less if you're counting atoms.
Approximately 73% of the mass of the visible universe is in the form of hydrogen. Helium makes up about 25% of the mass, and everything else represents only 2%.
The high number of protons in the early Universe made hydrogen by far the dominant element: 95% percent of the atoms in the Universe were hydrogen, 5% were helium, and trace amounts were lithium. These were the only elements formed within the first minutes after the Big Bang.
After hydrogen, helium is the second most abundant element in the universe. It is present in all stars. It was, and is still being, formed from alpha-particle decay of radioactive elements in the Earth. Some of the helium formed escapes into the atmosphere, which contains about 5 parts per million by volume.
Worldwide reserves, exclusive of the US, was estimated to be ~ 31,300 million cubic meters. Based on these figures, we estimate the current worldwide reserves will sustain the supply for ~300 years at current rates of consumption.
If our supply ran out, it could spell the end of MRI testing, LCD screens and birthday party balloons. Or it could make all of those things much more expensive. Although argon — another inert gas — can be substituted for helium for welding purposes, no other element can do what helium can do in super cold applications.
The initial singularity is a singularity predicted by some models of the Big Bang theory to have existed before the Big Bang. The instant immediately following the initial singularity is part of the Planck epoch, the earliest period of time in the history of our universe.
We can't make any more.” Helium is the second-most-abundant element in the universe, but on Earth it's relatively rare. It results from the decay of uranium, can't be artificially created, and is produced as a byproduct of natural gas refinement.
NASA uses helium as an inert purge gas for hydrogen systems and a pressurizing agent for ground and flight fluid systems. Helium is also used throughout the agency as a cryogenic agent for cooling various materials and has been used in precision welding applications.
Once helium is released in the atmosphere, it will continue rising until it escapes into space, making it the only truly unrecoverable element. Helium in recoverable quantities is found in only a few locations around the world, and these sources are being rapidly depleted.
The Big Bang theory, developed in 1927 is considered the most credible scientific explanation of how the Universe was created. It suggests that through a process of expansion and explosion hydrogen gas was created which led to the formation of stars, and their death (supernova) led to the creation of life.
Because there were so many protons zipping around in the early universe, hydrogen — the lightest element, with just one proton and one neutron — became the most abundant element, making up nearly 95% percent of the universe's atoms. Close to 5% of the universe's atoms are helium, according to NASA.
While hydrogen and helium make up most of the gases in interstellar space, tiny traces of other elements such as carbon, oxygen and iron also exist. Scientists who study interstellar space use spectrometers to identify trace amounts of other molecules between the stars.
The universe materialized literally out of nothing, at a tiny but finite size, and expanded thereafter. There were no moments before the moment of smallest size because there was no “before.” Likewise, there was no “creation” of the universe, since that concept implies action in time.
We now know (as of 2013) that the universe is flat with only a 0.4% margin of error. This suggests that the Universe is infinite in extent; however, since the Universe has a finite age, we can only observe a finite volume of the Universe.
Argon can be used instead of Helium and is favoured for some metals. Helium is used for many lighter-than-air applications, and Hydrogen is a possible substitute for many where the flammability of Hydrogen is not a concern.
Oxygen makes up one-fifth of the air we breathe, but it's the most vital component – and it does seem to be declining. The main cause is the burning of fossil fuels, which consumes free oxygen. Fortunately, the atmosphere contains so much oxygen that we're in no danger of running out soon.
When will we run out of oil? This is unique. It's estimated that known oil-deposits will run out by 2052. Realistically, we may never run out of oil because, given the depth of the Earth's core, there will be new wells to discover.
